The invention concerns a device for releasably coupling a drawer to an extendable rail of an extension guide having the features of a classifying portion.
A coupling device for drawers is disclosed in Austrian patent application A 144/2010. By means of the device, it is possible firstly for the drawer which is pushed on to the extension guide to be connected to an extendable rail of the extension guide, wherein abutment surfaces are arranged in the connecting region for making that connection. Due to the abutment surfaces, automatic latching of the drawer to the rail of the extension guide can take place, and a release portion allows the drawer to be released from the rail again.
By virtue of the fact that the above-mentioned device has a fixing portion and a coupling portion, the relative position of which is adjustable to each other by an adjusting device, it is possible to compensate for minor inaccuracies in manufacture of the extension guide or the device or an inaccuracy in mounting in or on a furniture carcass, which have the result that the drawer cannot be pulled out as desired in the longitudinal direction, but slightly inclined relative thereto. Particularly when a plurality of drawers are arranged in a furniture carcass, such a device makes it possible to provide a cleaner front appearance for the furniture carcass in regard to the lateral alignment of the drawers.
In that case, the adjusting device has an adjusting wheel, wherein the fixing portion and the coupling portion of the device can be displaced relative to each other by rotation of the adjusting wheel. The device itself should involve extremely compact overall dimensions in order that it can be fitted at the underside of the drawer bottom without impeding mounting and mobility of a drawer arranged therebeneath. For that reason, the components of the device and in particular the adjusting device are filigree delicate components. In that arrangement, the adjusting wheel is mounted rotatably about an axis arranged vertically in the mounted position. The adjusting wheel has an external tooth arrangement representing an actuating region which is accessible by way of an opening in the housing of the device.
The housing is arranged in opposite relationship to the side wall so that the actuating region, upon rotation of the adjusting wheel, is rotated substantially parallel to or in anti-parallel relationship with the extension direction of the drawer. The movement of the drawer relative to the extension rail, caused by the rotation of the adjusting wheel, is effective however in a lateral direction. For a person who adjusts the position of the drawer with the adjusting wheel, it is therefore not immediately apparent in what direction that person has to rotate the adjusting wheel in order to displace the drawer relative to the extension rail in a desired direction. If in contrast there is a wish to make the entire external region of the adjusting wheel available at the same time as the actuating region, then the entire adjusting wheel must be freely accessible and for that purpose must be fitted on to the device by virtue of the rotation about an axis that is vertical in the mounted condition. That construction has the disadvantage of involving a large structural height, which in turn is harmful in terms of the space requirement involved. In addition an exposed adjusting wheel of that kind entails the risk of damage or injury in particular because of the filigree components.